Technical Field
The disclosed embodiments relate in general to secure document management systems and methods and, more specifically, to systems and methods for preserving and managing an audit trail associated with printing of sensitive documents. The disclosed embodiments also relate to the enforcement side of improper document handling and identifying the user(s) who mishandled the specific document(s).
Description of the Related Art
In most business settings, there are always documents, which contain sensitive business information, such as know-how, trade secrets, employee records, etc. Accidental or malicious disclosure of the contents of these sensitive documents to unauthorized persons can be extremely harmful to the business. Additionally, there are some industries in which document contents are regulated by law, such as the health care industry. For example, an accidental disclosure of patient information contained in a document can result in imposition of fines and/or other sanctions.
On the other hand, as would be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art, the ability to track and monitor a document from its origination (usually in electronic form) to the point at which it is printed on paper has been very limited. In small businesses and businesses with remote satellite offices, it has also been difficult to later demonstrate compliance with secure document handling standards or gather secure document handling information from remote sites.
As would be appreciated by persons of skill in the art, in view of the aforesaid shortcomings of the conventional secure document management technology, it would be advantageous to have new and improved systems and methods for preserving and managing an audit trail associated with printing of sensitive documents.